1. Exemplar Projects in Humanities Grid Computing Paul S. Ell Centre for Data Digitisation & Analysis Queen’s Belfast ISGC 2007

2. Summary e-Science and the arts and humanities e-Science and the arts and humanities Vision of Britain exemplar Vision of Britain exemplar Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative Virtual Vellum Virtual Vellum Irish Studies Irish Studies The way forward The way forward

3. Grid technologies In the UK the Arts and Humanities Research Council has argued “Grid technologies fall into three main strands, with different degrees of significance for the A&H:” The three aspects of e-Science are likely to have varying impacts in the humanities and arts Access Gird: Is this really distance learning with a better internet connection? Are humanities scholars going to change the fundamental way they do research? Access Gird: Is this really distance learning with a better internet connection? Are humanities scholars going to change the fundamental way they do research? Computation Grid: Do humanities and arts scholars need high- powered computing power? Computation Grid: Do humanities and arts scholars need high- powered computing power? Data Grid: The key technology that will fundamentally change scholarship in the humanities and arts. Also the key challenges Data Grid: The key technology that will fundamentally change scholarship in the humanities and arts. Also the key challenges

4. Unique challenges in the humanities and arts: The Data Grid In the humanities the data grid is less concerned with moving large amounts of data around… In the humanities the data grid is less concerned with moving large amounts of data around… Heterogeneous, fragmented, partial, disparate e- resources Heterogeneous, fragmented, partial, disparate e- resources Information overload - the digital deluge Information overload - the digital deluge Resource discovery problems Resource discovery problems Interface and data harvesting problems Interface and data harvesting problems Integratory difficulties Integratory difficulties Data in ever more complex multimedia formats - not just text but numbers, images, objects, video, sound files Data in ever more complex multimedia formats - not just text but numbers, images, objects, video, sound files How to organise data - by subject, by chronology, by location - or all three… How to organise data - by subject, by chronology, by location - or all three… But there are exemplars… But there are exemplars…

5. The proof: early exemplars The Vision of Britain through time Based on a ‘traditional’ HGIS of quantitative data and polygons Based on a ‘traditional’ HGIS of quantitative data and polygons Supplemented with additional e-resources – historical gazetteers describing places in time, travellers tales, historical maps Supplemented with additional e-resources – historical gazetteers describing places in time, travellers tales, historical maps Materials organised by place, time and subject Materials organised by place, time and subject

7. Historical maps

12. Census reports

15. Historical Gazetteers

18. Travellers’ Tales

21. An integrated resource

29. The proof: early exemplars The Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative UC Berkeley-based project with almost 1,000 humanities and arts academic affiliates from around the world holding spatially referenced e- resources UC Berkeley-based project with almost 1,000 humanities and arts academic affiliates from around the world holding spatially referenced e- resources Metadata that allows registered distributed datasets to be retrieved on the fly at object level Metadata that allows registered distributed datasets to be retrieved on the fly at object level Software – TimeMap – which allows retrieved data to be selected and visualised and exported Software – TimeMap – which allows retrieved data to be selected and visualised and exported

32. The Proof: Virtual Vellum Provides distributed access to research- quality digitisations of folios Provides distributed access to research- quality digitisations of folios Involves around 20 organisations around the world Involves around 20 organisations around the world Easy access and preservation Easy access and preservation

33. The Proof: Irish Studies Poorly defined subject area Poorly defined subject area No cohesive e-resources currently exist No cohesive e-resources currently exist But quite a lot of e-resources data our there - Database of Irish Historical Statistics, Act of Union Virtual Library, Historical Hansard, JSTOR journals But quite a lot of e-resources data our there - Database of Irish Historical Statistics, Act of Union Virtual Library, Historical Hansard, JSTOR journals Challenge to bring these together Challenge to bring these together

34. e-Science infrastructural needs Examples ‘fixed’ to a degree Examples ‘fixed’ to a degree Need for e-infrastructure – place name gazetteers (JISC EPNS Project); chronological gazetteers (‘Going Places in the Catalog: Time Periods’ from US National Leadership Grant for Libraries); subject indexes (ECAI ‘Support for the Learner: What, Where, When, and Who’ – second NLGL grant) Need for e-infrastructure – place name gazetteers (JISC EPNS Project); chronological gazetteers (‘Going Places in the Catalog: Time Periods’ from US National Leadership Grant for Libraries); subject indexes (ECAI ‘Support for the Learner: What, Where, When, and Who’ – second NLGL grant) Need for a subject based geo-temporal data browser?? How is the ‘stuff’ that’s retrieved going to be managed? Need for a subject based geo-temporal data browser?? How is the ‘stuff’ that’s retrieved going to be managed? Enhanced metadata or context sensitive intelligent searching Enhanced metadata or context sensitive intelligent searching

35. Conclusions The Data Grid will be the key area of e-Science activity in the humanities and arts The Data Grid will be the key area of e-Science activity in the humanities and arts Data Grid based e-Science in the humanities and arts is far more challenging than in the sciences Data Grid based e-Science in the humanities and arts is far more challenging than in the sciences Key infrastructure is required together with enhanced search capabilities Key infrastructure is required together with enhanced search capabilities Opportunity for fundamental change in humanities and arts research Opportunity for fundamental change in humanities and arts research Chance to fully exploit the vast array of e-resources already available Chance to fully exploit the vast array of e-resources already available Humanities scholars will not need to change the way they work Humanities scholars will not need to change the way they work

36. Integrating e-resources by place and chronology: GIS e-Science: statistics, maps, photographs, text, manuscripts, existing e-resources, websites, museum objects...